


Daring Rescue

by Qzeebrella



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: M/M, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-10-03
Updated: 2007-10-03
Packaged: 2018-08-16 05:19:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8088757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qzeebrella/pseuds/Qzeebrella
Summary: Jon sneaks past Malcolm’s barriers using daring rescue and persistence.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: I think this is a prose poem. Or maybe it's just a poetic story. Whatever it is, I hope you all enjoy it.  


* * *

I rescue him and the barriers between us lower. Just a little bit and only for a short while. But I get to catch a glimpse of the man inside and it leaves me longing to see more.

I get to see his eyes full of happy tears as he sees me for the first time after danger rears its ugly head. I get to hear his voice shaking with emotion as he lies in sickbay after. 

He allows himself to express how he feels about being rescued, about being part of the crew. He takes a deep breath or two, inhaling the scents of sickbay and smiling a bit as if reassured heâ€™s truly safe now. He licks his lips quickly, tormenting me with the sight of his tongue and making me wonder what it would be like to taste him. 

He allows me catch a glimpse of the man behind the barriers he surrounds himself with. Allows himself to be just Malcolm for a moment or two and then he tries to hide again. He tries to duck behind those barriers, tries to shut me out, but it is too late. For I have seen inside and know the treasure waiting for me behind those barriers.

I start doing all I can to chip away at those barriers so as to get him to allow me inside. I use gentle touches, longing looks and carefully chosen words as my tools. I am relentless in my efforts and I am as patient as I know how to be. 

Every now and then, my persistence pays off and those barriers tremble just a little bit and I see a tiny bit more of the man behind them, causing me to rejoice and to redouble my efforts. For it gives me hope that Malcolm is considering lowering the barriers enough to let me into his heart and allow me to share his life.

***  
Malcolm rescues me and his eyes give him away. For they are full of a fierce protectiveness and a surprising vulnerability. The protectiveness and vulnerability twisted about together in such a way it is hard to tell one from the other.

I warm my heart and soul by the fire of that gaze. But he allows the look, the connection for only a moment and then he turns away to focus on whatâ€™s needed to get me to safety and I shiver with the coldness left behind.

He leads the way out, becoming tightly controlled. His every movement purposeful and graceful. He starts stalking his prey with hunger in his eyes. Always alert for the opportunity to strike. His eyes are vicious in their intensity as he looks for threats or deals with them. His is always careful, never relaxing his guard and never taking chances. He slinks ahead of me with graceful strides, so unconsciously sensuous that it drives me crazy. 

Then on the way home, he looks at me with smouldering grey eyes. He sits in the shuttle trembling as the adrenaline drains away. He looks at my jacket and clenches his fists as if barely able to restrain himself from grabbing onto me. He looks me up and down as if to reassure himself that Iâ€™m okay. Making me feel naked under his gaze.

He brushes by me as we exit the shuttle, the heat of his body lighting a fire deep inside me. He turns to me for a moment with his mouth slightly open, gasping slightly for air. Then he swallows hard, his eyes still smouldering at me as he looks me up and down. His nostrils flare and he shudders slightly. Then he forces himself to take a step back and then stomps away.

I long to fan the flames. To get the fire to flare out of control, if only for a moment. I yearn to see what would happen. I wish to know if that would be enough to get him to give me a glimpse into the passionate man he tries so hard to hide. I ache to find a way to become the focus of his passion.

He does all he can to hide this passion away after. To bury his fierceness behind his barriers. He fights to blend into the background but he fails for I still see him. For when I go to the gym I see the tightly controlled fire behind his eyes as he executes a flying kick in the gym. 

I bend over to pick something up and catch him looking at me with smouldering grey eyes. I brush past him as I pass him on my way to the turbo lift and tremble. I notice every time he looks toward me on the bridge with longing in his eyes. I feel his eyes travelling up and down my body whenever he thinks Iâ€™m preoccupied and it always leaves me trembling. 

I can almost taste his yearning as he watches me. I can almost see his passion directed towards me and only me. I can almost hear him gasp with hunger when he sees me sweaty and dishevelled. I can even almost reach out and touch him in these moments of weakness he has. But I am always prevented by his quick retreat and his determination to hide behind the barriers he clings to so fervently.

***  
Every now and then, when the memory of the latest daring rescue had faded just a bit, Malcolm would let me see a tiny bit of himself. He would set the barriers aside but only for a moment, for a breath, for a heartbeat and then he would hide behind them again.

Every now and then, when there was no hint of a daring rescue to be found, I would catch him looking at me and trembling with the effort it took not to touch. I would turn to see his smouldering grey eyes as they travelled up and down my body and then forcing himself to walk away. 

Leaving me needy and yearning for his touch. Leaving me wishing I knew how to encourage him to follow through on his desire. Leaving me wishing I could find a way to let him know that his touch would be welcome.

But I was unable to find the right way so we were stuck in the pattern of me rescuing him and him rescuing me and I despaired that weâ€™d never find our way out of the pattern and to each other.

***  
Then Malcolm lost his communicator and we were both captured. We were thrown into jail with bars all around us and Malcolm opened up to me. He let his barriers fall completely. He let me see the aching, vulnerable man he normally tries to hide and he reached out to me. He reached out to touch me, with his barriers still down but I could not meet him half way for guilt was crushing me in its jaws. For I had not been able to protect him from this. I had not been able to keep him safe. 

So I closed myself off from him, trying to protect myself from the pain sweeping through me at the thought of Malcolmâ€™s death. It didnâ€™t work. Nor did my pleading for his life. We were taken together to the gallows, the ropes pulled around our necks. I looked at him and I know my eyes showed just how much I yearned for him, just how much I loved him. But he was resolute and stoic and did not look at me so he did not see the love in my eyes.

We were rescued by our friends and on the way home something new was added to our routine of after rescue and on the way home activities. He teased me and we laughed together and the shared laughter opened up a tiny crack in the barriers Malcolm had around himself.

From then on his barriers lowered just a little bit more often, for just a second or two longer. From then on he let me see just a tiny bit more of the sort of man he was. And I started looking at him more often and catching him looking back at me with smouldering grey eyes. 

Iâ€™d catch him looking at me and trembling. Iâ€™d catch him reaching towards me but never quite touching me and I began to hope he would lower his barriers just enough to let me in.

***  
Then we had that awkward breakfast where I tried to get past his barriers and he shut me out. But just a short while later he went out to disable a mine and got pinned to the hull. I went out to rescue him and he allowed me to see inside again. To the vulnerable, scared boy who grew up to become the man I loved.

Then he spat fire at me. Tried to get me to leave him behind. To cut him loose and let him die. And I spat back. I refused to.

He pulled his air hose and tried to push me away when I went to him. I refused to be pushed, refused to let him die. I shared my air with him and then I shared my crazy plan. He agreed to try it and I put it into action. I went out to him and cut the leg of the mine off. We floated off into space, held our shuttle pod doors and the mine exploded, pushing us away. We tumbled through space and into the hanger deck. We landed on the deck and once we had our helmets off, I teased Malcolm and we shared laughter again. He let me hold him in my arms, let himself lean against me, let himself relax in my embrace even when Phlox ran in.

Now the barriers did not disappear, but he did let me see beyond them more often. He did let me past them to see the man inside. He shared little pieces of himself with me. Talked to me about himself, argued with me over various topics and even flirted with me. He would look me up and down, his eyes smouldering grey and he would reach out and touch me for a moment and then heâ€™d step away.

I was determined to let him take his time. To let him set the pace. To let him open up in his own way and only when it was comfortable for him to do so. Then I remembered just how long it took for him to let me get this far and I started to push for more. I started to pursue him a bit more openly. And oh so slowly, he let me in. Just a little bit, only just so far and no farther. For awhile I thought he would never let me all the way in that heâ€˜d never trust me with his heart. And then I was kidnapped by Klingons and thrown into Rura Penthe. 

***  
He came for me and when he pulled down the hood of the cloak the barriers were nowhere to be seen. He was looking at me with love, joy and hope. He reached out to me and clasped my shoulder. I reached out and clasped his. We walked out of the prison together and flew away on an alien ship. And though we were in unfamiliar territory, he kept the barriers down and let me see all that he was. He let me see all that he was and then he led me to the quarters we were to share. He looked at me with smouldering grey eyes as he lowered me to the narrow bunk. He trembled as he touched me. He kissed me shyly. He took tiny sips from my lips as if savouring my taste. He traced my face with shaking hands and then kissed me again.

I gasped into the sweet kiss. I moaned as he touched my skin for the first time. I writhed as he explored me as he drove me wild with his fingers and his lips. I rejoiced when he covered me with his body, settled between my legs. I murmured words of love and commitment as he entered me. I handed him my heart and soul and he took them into his safe keeping and handed me his own. 

He claimed me slowly, stroking me, petting me, thrusting inside me. He cherished me, making me tremble underneath him. I shattered apart as pleasure exploded through me at every touch, every kiss. Then Malcolm came inside me, his eyes smouldering grey. He collapsed upon me and we gasped together, catching our breath. Afterwards, he held me close, wrapped his arms around me and kept me safe throughout the night. And when I woke, he was beside me, still holding me. Deeply asleep and smiling.

We returned to the ship and were ushered into sickbay. We were given decon gel and privacy. Malcolm made sure Phlox could not see in and then stripped me of my clothes and looked at me with smouldering grey eyes. He rubbed gel all over me, and rescued me from the unknown microbe we had carried home. I returned the favour, rubbing gel onto him. We kissed and rubbed, rubbed and kissed and somehow I ended up underneath Malcolm and he took control. Taking us both to the edge again and again and again before letting us tip over. Then he kissed me hungrily.

I told him we could never know when I would need rescuing. That I needed more than just Porthos to protect me and he smiled. He helped me dress and went with me to my quarters and saved me from a rabid dust bunny that night. Then he moved in. Heâ€™s been saving me from rabid dust bunnies every night since. Keeping me safe. 

He also insists on checking up on me when Iâ€™m in my ready room at least once a week. And oddly, every time he comes in he rescues me from vicious paper cuts and then bends me over my desk and claims me.

And every day I go to rescue him and he lets me past his barriers. He talks to me. Shares his thoughts and feelings with me as we sit together in an observation room or share breakfast together. He argues with me and debates with me, he teases me and flirts with me. He shares laughter with me and he lets me see all that he is, something that touches me more than I can say. For he is sharing his precious soul with me, he is giving me his love and that is worth more to me than anything else in the universe.

He rescued me from my desolate solitude. He saved me from my hopeless yearning for love. He freed me from the unbearable pain of being alone.

And then I dared to rescue him from the same.


End file.
